Doha

So it's 11:45 am EST and Kim and I arrive in Doha, Qatar (ki-tar). We just woke up but it's already night time here! Rewind: yesterday as we left for the airport on the taxi ride to Dulles our nerves woke up… the idea of spending six weeks in a third-world country has finally kicked in. We were able to tame the nerves by enjoying a glass of wine (of course) and some mushroom risotto in the lounge while waiting for boarding to start.

The experience of flying business class on Qatar is one in and of its own… Kim told Ray "now that we're settled in our apartment" – and if we compare it to NYC, its damn near that big. After we relaxed in the lounge we headed to the gate to board the plane. Business class had its own walkway so there was no mingling with the other passengers. [Be quiet, if you were going to live in a country that barely has running water, let alone any that might be warm, you too might pamper yourself on the way there!] The cabin was very nice, dimly lit with burgundy and tan coloring. Each seat had its own 19" screen TV and a smorgasbord of entertainment to choose from. After the plane took off we had dinner – and more wine – and then settled in for a little sleep. As we were falling asleep we realized we had only flown 519 miles – oh my. We both fully arise around 8:00 am EST for breakfast and then just two hours later we're landing. Colleen's nerves have once again kicked in as she realized we are now in a country where people speak a completely different language and we are foreigners.

The nerves settle once we get to the lounge (in Doha) and everyone speaks English (to this point). We've got diet cokes in hand and are patiently waiting a few hours before the 4.5 hour flight to Kathmandu where Kim has assured me- the experience there will be completely different than that here in Doha – yikes.

I know we're not there yet but, had some time and internet access so I thought I'd share part of the journey to get there as well.

A little aside from Kim – I've now discovered another country that I'd like to come back and actually see. If the employees of Qatar Airways are any indication, Qatar is another country of warm and friendly people and never having experienced the Middle East before it's nice to know that Americans are not universally despised. Seeing the world is a great reminder of how, while we may look a little different from each other, we're all the same at heart. It's the reason I love to travel! Oh, and don't watch "Marley and Me" on an airplane unless you don't mind openly sobbing in public!

Until our next post – live with passion!